Falcons close in on playoffs; TKR on the brink of elimination

Falcons 183 for 4 (Nawaz 76, Moeen 32*; Tariq 1-25) beat Knight Riders 175 for 7 (Da Silva 54*, Pollard 41; Cornwall 3-17) by 8 runs

The Antigua & Barbuda Falcons claimed an 8-run victory over the Trinbago Knight Riders in the final game of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) season at the Queen’s Park Oval on Thursday.

The loss is the Knight Riders' third straight, as they finish their homestand with four defeats from five. Hasan Nawaz was the standout performer with the bat, whilst Rahkeem Cornwall and Joshua James brought it home with the ball for the Falcons, who notched another win after a rain-cancelled fixture against the Patriots.

The Falcons made a promising start in the powerplay with Evin Lewis and Rahkeem Cornwall putting on a decent 40-run partnership before Cornwall played on Usman Tariq. This was the 17th consecutive CPL match he’s taken a wicket. They had the chance to send Lewis back for 16, but the catch was put down by Terrance Hinds. The Knight Riders have relied on their spinners to bowl a tight first six, but the Falcons didn’t allow themselves to get bogged down and reached 43 for 1 at the end of the PowerPlay.

Dropped catches would plague the Knight Riders again shortly after, as Moeen Ali was dropped on 1 by Akeal Hosein. By then, Hasan Nawaz was establishing himself and looked set to spearhead the Falcons' charge. He would reach his half-century in 36 balls with Moeen Ali on his second lifeline, supporting from the other end. Nawaz was eventually caught by Alex Hales off the bowling of Lahiru Kumara for 76.

The Falcons cleverly picked their victims with Usman Tariq, and Sunil Narine showed respect, finishing with tidy figures. The Falcons skipper was there at the end, finding a boundary off the last ball to take the Falcons to 183 for 4 at the end of 20 overs.

The Knight Riders approached the PowerPlay with a high-risk, high-reward strategy, taking 63 runs for the loss of 4 wickets. Colin Munro and Nicholas Pooran both got starts but fell to Rahkeem Cornwall, who was the man for the occasion in the Falcons' attack. He finished the PowerPlay with an outstanding spell, taking 3 for 17 to peg the Knight Riders' chase back.

Kieron Pollard, hampered by an existing injury, looked to put the team on his back once again as his 55 partnership with Joshua Da Silva kept the Knight Riders in touch heading into the last five overs. But when he was taken smartly by Jayden Seales, it looked an uphill task from there. The impressive Joshua James was the man to claim the crucial wicket. He and Sharmar Springer would combine to set James up with a comfortable 25-run cushion in the final over, which was well executed.

Joshua Da Silva brought up his half-century, hitting a six off the final ball and finishing on 54 unbeaten, but this was nothing more than a consolation as the Knight Riders have potentially pushed themselves out of play-off contention. The Falcons reclaim the top spot for now and are in a strong position to qualify.